


A Cat and Mouse Game

by shellface



Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, and taekwoon might be his fan, cat cafe!au, done with everything!hongbin, hakyeon is a cat youtuber, hyuk and ken might be cats, is it obvious i'm a cat lady yet, oblivious neo, rabin friendship, wonshik is a sweetie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-03 17:00:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8721640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shellface/pseuds/shellface
Summary: Hakyeon and Taekwoon have taken to flirting over free coffee at a cat cafe. Hongbin and Wonshik are tired of being the providers of both free coffee and cat snuggles - so they decide to gently coerce them to go on a real date.After all, what's a bit of emotional manipulation among friends?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slashedsilver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashedsilver/gifts).



> Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope the holidays are going well for you. <3 I think I might have (wildly) deviated from your prompt, and I do apologise - but I hope you enjoy it anyway. It was a lot of fun to write! It's not as good as I wanted it to be, but I tried!
> 
> Thanks to Buttercup for helping me plot, and for reading the entire thing without complaint. I don't think I could have finished it without you (or come up with so much sass!bin. Or maybe I could. Sass!bin is one of my favourite things, after all). I'm sorry for torturing our baby boy, but you know these things happen. ._.

As soon as Hakyeon walks in, his laptop tucked under one arm, Taekwoon looks up. His gaze remains fixed on the other man as he greets Hongbin, and it travels down with laser-focus to rest on his ass as he bends to stroke the ears of the nearest cat.

Hakyeon stands up, and spotting him, waves enthusiastically. Taekwoon looks away guiltily. It's a free country, but, well – would anyone want to get caught staring at someone's ass? He swallows as Hakyeon ascends the stairs towards him, feeling his heartbeat speed up for no other reason than the man he has a crush on is coming towards him.

He doesn't like to admit it, but it's true. He, Jung Taekwoon, has a crush on Cha Hakyeon, Youtube star extraordinaire. He'd heard of Hakyeon before he started coming to the cafe – it was hard not to, if you watched as many cat videos as he did – and he'd had the passing thought, 'Oh, he's cute,' but now – well, now, it had reached embarrassing proportions.

Hakyeon grins at him, and his heart gives a pathetic little flutter. “Hey,” Hakyeon says, thudding down next to him. “What you up to?”

If anyone else asked that question, he would give them a hard stare and tell them to mind their own business. In this case, he merely turns his laptop screen towards Hakyeon. “Editing.”

“Cool,” Hakyeon says, no longer interested now his curiosity has been satiated.

He's not sure how their friendship started. They met at the cafe – he knows that much, because he remembers Hongbin and Hakyeon bickering furiously about the best way to feed a cat – but he can't pinpoint the moment they got so close.

In general, he is a private person, not given to making close friends often or easily. He has acquaintances, friends he enjoys spending time with – but the people he considers special are few and far between, and honestly? He never expected Hakyeon to be one of them. He is loud, nosy, overly theatrical, and prone to panicking. He also has no idea how to deal with cats – but he'd never tell him that.

They chatted that first meeting, he remembers that. Then they exchanged social media handles, and Hakyeon followed his photography blog. And soon after that, Hakyeon began mentioning him on his channel, sending a huge influx of followers his way, something that both excited and terrified him. He'd only started the blog because Hongbin told him too; he never actually _wanted_ the attention.

And that was that. Somehow, they were messaging via Skype every night. Then it became Skype calls, late at night when they were both editing. The Skype calls progressed to FaceTime, constant texts, and meeting up at the cafe every other day.

It came upon him so slowly, he didn't realise it was happening. He just turned around one day, and Hakyeon was there, in all his handsome glory. While he doesn't shy away from asking men out, per se...it's difficult. He doesn't start relationships unless he thinks they're worth it, and while he thinks Hakyeon is – he's nervous.

Hakyeon is so friendly, so touchy-feely with everyone, that sometimes it can be hard to tell whether or not it is genuine interest or just friendship.

***

Hongbin looks up from the mug he is washing, watching Hakyeon and Taekwoon flirt. He finds that there is a wistful, slightly envious feeling building in the pit of his stomach. It's been so long since he found anyone who interested him that he's almost forgotten how much fun flirting can be. Though girls like him, it's hard to find someone who wants the same things he does – someone who gels with him.

Taekwoon and Hakyeon have that. Though they're too stupid to see they're practically dating, they just _fit_ , and honestly, he's jealous. He's half-convinced that this will never happen for him.

Wonshik shakes his head. “God, how dumb can you be? Hakyeon's halfway in his lap, and Taekwoon _still_ isn't sure he's into him.”

Hongbin snorts, the uneasy feeling dissipating just a little because Wonshik is with him. Wonshik has a wonderful habit of alleviating his loneliness, because he knows he feels much the same way he does. “It's not like either of them are joining Mensa any time soon.”

“You know Taekwoon's subscribed to his channel, right?” Wonshik adds conversationally. “I know for a fact that he watches his videos constantly, because I saw his Youtube history. Idiot.”

“You reckon they'll ever get round to asking each other out?”

Wonshik watches them for a moment, before shaking his head decisively. “Nope. Not even if you banged their heads together.”

He groans theatrically, setting the clean mug on the draining board. “You mean they're going to sponge free coffee dates off us forever?”

“I think so,” Wonshik nods, adopting a grave expression.

“Unacceptable,” he mutters, picking up another cup. He swirls the cloth around the inside for a minute, thinking. “Maybe if we set them up, they'd go on _actual_ dates, and stop stealing from us.

“It's not actually stealing,” Wonshik points out fairly. “They do help with publicity.”

Hongbin waves this off. While this might be true, he still doesn't think it justifies the amount of coffee they drink – and they drink a _lot_. He didn't buy an expensive organic brand just to fuel two boneheads' caffeine habits. He bought it to entice paying hipsters who are dumb enough to think rustic-looking packaging justifies an enormously inflated price, thank you very much.

***

Hongbin stands behind Hakyeon, arms folded, as Hakyeon unveils his new video. After a completely unnecessary opening jingle, Hakyeon's face flashes on the screen, grinning as he dangles a cat harness. “Time to take the boys on a walk!” He announces, and within seconds, he has pounced on a poor, unsuspecting Jaehwan, who scrabbles to be released. The look of feline horror on his face mirrors the one on Hongbin's.

It is all to no avail, as Hakyeon – with terrifying, practised ease – wrestles Jaehwan into a neon green harness, which clashes horribly with his ginger fur. The cat, sensing that resistance is futile, settles down to wait, paws tucked under him as he watches his 'brother' meet a similar fate.

Sanghyuk is not nearly as sanguine. After several yowls, and a spirited chase around the living room, Hakyeon succeeds in pinning him between his thighs and forcing the poor animal into a matching harness.

“I'm going to edit that bit out,” Hakyeon says cheerfully.

“I figured,” Hongbin replies, with barely suppressed sarcasm.

Hakyeon either misses the sarcasm, or chooses not to hear it (Hongbin is never quite sure which), and clicks on his next video. “The fans requested this one,” he says fondly. “They like to see them go about their daily life.”

With great difficulty, Hongbin holds back on the many, many comments currently thundering through his mind.

“Oh, our Hyogi eats so well!” Hakyeon’s voice, sickeningly saccharine, comes through the speakers. “Are you hungry? Did daddy not feed you in time?” He coos, squatting down to pet Sanghyuk's fuzzy little ears. “You're such a good boy.”

The black and white cat momentarily pauses, tilting his head to look up at the human who is making such ridiculous noises. He gives Hakyeon a look of disdain, tail swishing, and turns back to his foodbowl.

Hakyeon has – quite obviously – been dismissed, but he does not pick up on the signals (he never picks up on the signals) and continues to film his cat's eating habits. Sanghyuk's ears flatten against his head.

All of a sudden, the screen pauses on a particularly unflattering shot of Hakyeon. He blinks, and glares up at the cause of this unexpected interruption. “What the hell was that for?”

Hongbin heaves a dramatic sigh. “You really don't understand cats, do you?” He says calmly, leaning over Hakyeon to place a fresh cup of coffee on the table. “You can't just attack him like that, he's eating.”

Hakyeon's hackles rise. He has a legion of fans who would argue that point, and claim that he is some kind of cat god. He _knows_ cats. “He was being adorable, and I just wanted to show my fans!”

“He was being a cat,” Hongbin rolls his eyes. “And you were harassing him. He needs stimulation, not a camera up his nose.”

“He has stimulation!” Hakyeon protests. “He and Jaehwan have loads of toys, and I walk them twice a week!” He has videos, he can prove all of this – and if he has sponsorship deals with many of the manufacturers of those products, well, it just shows they're reputable companies.

Hongbin snorts, and sits down on the floor next to Hakyeon. “And I've told you before, that means jack shit. Just let them out, Hakyeon. You live on the ground floor flat, they'll be fine. Cats aren't meant to be cooped up.”

“Says the man who runs a cat cafe.” He shuts his laptop lid. This is a regular institution; he and Hongbin will argue about their respective cats for about an hour, until Wonshik comes up from the reception desk and tells them that it's time to stop. Hakyeon will then continue to edit a video, drink copious cups of coffee, and then head home to his own cats.

He leads a very productive life.

“Yes,” Hongbin does not dispute this. He _does_ run a cat cafe, and they don't really get to go outside. “But my cats live in an environment that is built with them in mind.” He folds his arms, tilting his head back to indicate the cat climbing the frame above their heads. “Yours don't.”

Hakyeon adopts a suitably outraged expression, but is unable to fight the grin that curls at the edges of his mouth. Arguing with Hongbin is one of the many reasons he comes here.

It is not, however, the _main_ reason. Furtively, he casts his gaze around the room, in the vain hope that a certain _someone_ will have come in without him noticing. Hongbin watches him, and snorts.

“He's not coming today,” he tells him, taking a sip of Hakyeon's coffee. “So you can stop looking.”

“Who's not coming?” Hakyeon pretends indifference; Hongbin laughs in response.

“Oh, so we're playing that game today?”

Hakyeon gives him what he thinks is a blank stare in response. In actuality, he just looks stoned – but Hongbin's not going to tell him that. He rather enjoys Hakyeon's facial expressions. “What game?”

Hongbin gives a long-suffering sigh.

***

The next day, the bell above the door tinkles at precisely 2:34, signalling that they have another customer. Wonshik doesn't even look up. He simply grunts, “Hey Taekwoon,” and trudges towards the coffeemaker.

He gets a soft “Hey,” back, and shakes his head, smiling to himself. Taekwoon is nothing if not predictable. When he turns around, coffee in hand, Taekwoon is crouched down, folding Byungjun's ears between his fingers.

“Coffee,” Wonshik calls, and Taekwoon looks up at him.

“You know, other customers get their drinks brought to them,” he deadpans.

“And those customers actually pay,” Wonshik counters immediately. It is an old argument, much softened. “You don't.”

Taekwoon grumbles good-naturedly, but unfolds himself in a very catlike manner, stomping forward to take his (free) cup of coffee. “Are you this rude to everyone?”

“Nope.” Wonshik pops the 'p' in a self-satisfied manner. “I reserve this level of rudeness just for you.”

Taekwoon rolls his eyes. Wonshik grins. “And before you ask,” he says, “he's not here yet.”

“Who's not here?” Taekwoon affects indifference, but Wonshik can see right through it. He's known Taekwoon long enough now to tell when he's lying. In all honesty, he's a terrible liar – though he, of course, refuses to believe that.

“You two are as pathetic as each other,” he mutters under his breath, but smiles at Taekwoon anyway. “Want me to go get Hongbin?”

Taekwoon shrugs, as if he does not much care either way, but clutches his laptop nervously. Hongbin may look sweet and innocent – but when it comes to something he's paying for, he can be _vicious_. In Wonshik's eyes, at least, it is one of his more attractive qualities.

“I brought my laptop, so why not?”

Wonshik shakes his head again, biting back a sigh. He has no idea why Taekwoon has to play these games with him – they all know he comes here for the free coffee, the cats, and lastly, the company. He could quite easily email his photographs, or even upload them to their computer as soon as he takes them – but he doesn't, because he likes coming back.

Much like a cat, Taekwoon sees this as his territory.

***

Hongbin's critical gaze pans over Taekwoon's new shots, assessing and dismissing several shots in a few seconds. “These are good,” he says, referring to a set of two of the cats sleeping entwined together. “I need a few for the website. We're going to expand the range of t-shirts and so on, and anything I can slap a slogan on is great.”

Taekwoon nods. “I still get a cut of the proceeds, right?” He asks sharply, ever mercenary. Hongbin rolls his eyes.

“Yes, Taekwoon, you still get royalties. And I'll credit you on the site, as I always do.”

Taekwoon sits back, satisfied. “Good.”

Wonshik catches Hongbin's eye, rolling his eyes. Hongbin's lips twitch. “Well, if that's all you've got...” Wonshik lets the words hang in the air. One of them really needs to get back to manning the office, but he knows if he suggests that, Taekwoon will take it as an insult.

As it is, Taekwoon's lips twitch in irritation. “Of course that's not it,” he says haughtily. “I also have something _else_ I've been working on.”

Hongbin hopes it's not another drawing. Taekwoon might be an excellent photographer – and cheap to boot – but he has no other artistic talents to speak of, despite his beliefs to the contrary. Taekwoon clicks back to his home screen, and back onto his editing software – but before he can show them what he's been working on, a Skype notification appears.

A very faint blush spreads across his cheeks as several messages from Hakyeon flash across the screen.

***

Wonshik stares at Hakyeon, amused. “You could just ask him out yourself, you know. That is a thing people do.”

Hakyeon throws him a dirty look. “Fuck off, Wonshik. When was the last time you asked anyone out?”

He holds his arms out, warding off the biting comment that is about to come. “Oh, no, no, no, we're not talking about me, hyung. We're talking about _you_. Well, you and Taekwoon.”

“I don't _want_ to ask him out,” Hakyeon whines petulantly. “I want him to ask _me_ out. There's nothing wrong with that.”

“No, but there is a problem with you _not_ asking him out and then moaning about how he doesn't pick up on your signals,” Wonshik points out. “I don't even know what these signals are, if I'm honest.”

“I'm so obvious! It's not like subtlety is my thing, he should just _get_ that I'm into him,” Hakyeon grumbles. “I'm always all over him, and whenever he comes in, I ignore everything to pester him.”

“Hakyeon, you do that with everyone. That's not really a Taekwoon-specific thing.” Wonshik rolls his eyes. “And, between you and me, Taekwoon's not very bright. He needs more than that. He's not the type to ask you out unless he's _sure_ you're into him.”

“Are you projecting there?” Hakyeon quips, side-eyeing the other man. Wonshik shrugs.

“Maybe. But you can't blame the guy for not being telepathic, Hakyeon.” He stands up, twisting the cloth between his hands. “Just ask him. You only live once, after all.” He flashes an awkward grin.

Hakyeon rolls his eyes. “How could I forget?” He mutters. “You only went and tattooed those immortal words on your chest.”

Wonshik, however, is not listening, already heading down the steps to continue manning the drinks station. “Just do it, Hakyeon. Never thought you'd be a coward.” With those parting words, he jumps lightly off of the stairs, gently nudging a cat out of the way as he does so.

Hongbin looks up from behind the coffee bar and grins at him. Wonshik's stomach flips. “Harassing Hakyeon?”

“It's only my favourite pastime.” He smiles back, the sarcastic little smirk he only really reserves for Hongbin, because Hongbin understands that he might be a nice boy, but he has a darker, sardonic edge that so few ever see.

Hongbin shakes his head, and raises an eyebrow. “I thought your favourite hobby was composing.”

He tilts his head, considering. “Well, harassing Hakyeon comes in a close second, then.”

“Ah,” Hongbin nods. “Have you had your break yet?” He asks, his dark eyes assessing Wonshik's face, the dark circles and general pallor a clear giveaway that he hasn't. He opens the employee-only door immediately. “In, now,” he orders.

Wonshik complies meekly, because he's not very good at looking after himself, and Hongbin being angry with him is one of his many weaknesses.

***

“You do realise you and Hakyeon are dating, right?” Wonshik asks conversationally the next morning, as he cleans Taekwoon's table.

Taekwoon blinks, looking up from the extra-fluffy cat he was petting. “...what?”

“You're dating,” Wonshik repeats, giving the table one last wipe. He sits back on his haunches, looking back at Taekwoon expectantly. “You aren't that dumb, right?” Nakhun stretches for a moment, before padding over and jumping into Wonshik's lap. He strokes his ears gently. “Come on, Taekwoon. Seriously?”

“We're just friends,” Taekwoon says, shifting uncomfortably. He refuses to look Wonshik in the eyes, and Wonshik has to fight back a smile. He can't wait to tell Hongbin their plan has succeeded.

“You see him every night,” Wonshik counters, as Nakhun rubs his head against his fingers. “You go out with him all the time, and he never leaves your side if you're here at the same time.”

“That's just friend stuff,” Taekwoon shakes his head, still looking anywhere but Wonshik. “You do the same with Hongbin.”

“Yeah, but we live together. It's kind of hard to avoid each other.” Taekwoon looks up at that, his eyebrows raised. He gives Wonshik a long, hard stare. Wonshik looks away. He doesn't want to discuss his and Hongbin's relationship, not now, not ever.

Taekwoon does not say anything. He can be surprisingly kind, sometimes. “Well, we're good friends.” He shrugs.

“You don't think of him like a friend,” Wonshik says slyly. “I'm your friend, and you don't treat me as well as you do him. He does things you'd stab me for. And you _like_ it.” If he attempted to hang off Taekwoon the way Hakyeon does, he would be dead right now, and Taekwoon knows it.

***

 Later that night, Wonshik finds Hakyeon on his and Hongbin's doorstep, a bottle of vodka in one hand and a determined expression on his face. He would be surprised - if this didn't happen fairly regularly. Hakyeon has a habit of forcing his friendship on people, whether they like it or not. He's like mould; he grows on you.

It doesn't take long for the vodka to loosen his tongue. “Why _aren't_ you and Hongbin together?” Hakyeon asks inquisitively. Drunk as he is, he sees no problem with asking this question. The large amount of vodka he has consumed has left him pleasantly inebriated, his brain a warm, fuzzy mess.

Wonshik rolls his eyes, splashing a generous amount of vodka into his half-full glass of coke. “Because we're friends, not boyfriends.”

Hakyeon shakes his head, the question suddenly of vital importance to him. He leans forward, getting right into Wonshik's personal space; Wonshik just stares at him, eyes struggling to focus. “No, I mean, you're obviously half in love with him. Anyone can see it. And you'd be good together. You're practically married as it is.” He squints at him suspiciously. “You're not lying to me, are you? It would be just like you to be secretly together and not tell me,” he adds peevishly.

Wonshik chokes on his mouthful of vodka and very little coke. He splutters for a moment, before shaking his head. “I can assure you, hyung, that we are not secretly dating.” He sets his glass on the coffee table, determinedly looking away from the other man. “And that's because Hongbin is very definitely straight.”

“Are you sure?” Hakyeon is still squinting at him. It is a ridiculous look on him. “He could just be afraid of his feelings,” he offers, as if this is a perfectly legitimate explanation.

“I am _very_ sure,” he says firmly, because he can sense that Hakyeon is not going to let this go. He's like a dog with a bone when he gets an idea into his head. It's not one of his more attractive qualities. “Hongbin likes women, and that's that. And I'm not in love with him. He's my best friend. Of course we're close.”

It sounds more like he's trying to convince himself when he says that, but there's nothing he can do. He came to terms with the fact that he is always going to feel more than friendship towards Hongbin, and that Hongbin cannot reciprocate that. Hongbin has tried. It doesn't work.

“At least Taekwoon's into men,” Hakyeon muses. “At least, I think he is. I've never actually asked him. It's not the kind of thing you just ask someone.”

Wonshik stares at him incredulously. “That was literally the first thing you asked me when we met.”

“Yeah, but I wasn't into you. It's different.” Hakyeon waves a hand. “And no offence, but it's really obvious you're gay. It's like you give off these little...gay vibes.” He wiggles his fingers, as if imitating these supposed vibes.

Wonshik feels vaguely insulted.

***

Hakyeon wakes up the next morning with a very sore head, and no recollection of anything that happened the night before. He supposes this is a good thing; he can be a very emotional drunk, and he doesn't need to remember crying about the last episode of _Breaking Bad_.

He really needs to stop doing that.

His head swimming, he gingerly rolls onto one side, rummaging around on the floor for his phone. He finds it under the coffee table, and discovers that – among the ten messages he sent to his mother telling her how much he loved her – he has texted Taekwoon.

Oh. Oh no.

His heart thudding dangerously, he clicks on the LINE notification. _Please let it be a dumb text about_ The Walking Dead, he prays, already knowing it will be much worse than that.

Taekwoon's reply is simply _Yes_ , which raises more questions than it answers. What the fuck has he sent? He opens the thread, and stares at his messages in horror.

_Ur hot._

3:04

_Do u like me?_

3:05

_I <3 u _

3:06

And, finally:

_Will u go out w/me?_

4:23

He falls off the sofa, almost smacking his head off the coffee table. “Oh fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck.” He stumbles to his feet. “Wonshik! Wonshik!” He calls, sprinting in the direction of Wonshik's bedroom.

Wonshik opens his door, looking grumpy. “What the fuck is your problem, Hakyeon?” He growls. “It's my day off, I need to sleep – ”

Hakyeon cuts off his rambling by shoving his phone in his face. “Why didn't you stop me?” He wails, aware that he sounds like a fourteen year old girl. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

To his horror, Wonshik is grinning. “Finally.” He claps Hakyeon on the back. “Well done, hyung. I knew you'd be the only one who had the balls to finally do it.” He yawns, and attempts to close the door.

Hakyeon sticks his foot in the doorway. “But I'm not _ready_ ,” he moans. “This is not what I wanted. I wanted him to ask me out and then he'd have to come up with the first date. Where the hell am I supposed to take him?”

Wonshik yawns again, eyes becoming tired slits. “Anywhere but the cafe. You're always there. Go to the cinema, or something.”

“The cinema? Seriously? That's all you've got to suggest?” He barges his way into Wonshik's bedroom, completely ignoring the fact that Wonshik is clearly desperate to go back to sleep. “I can't just take him to the cinema. That's boring.”

Wonshik shrugs. “Seems good to me. Take him to a horror movie, cling to him when it gets scary because you're a complete wimp, then wank him off in the second half.” He stretches his arms, yawning once more. “Works for me.”

Hakyeon gives him a look of deepest loathing. “Romance is dead for you, isn't it?”

Wonshik groans. “For god's sake, hyung. You're overthinking this way too much. You're practically together as it is, this is just the first time you get to fuck.”

“Who said we were going to sleep together?” Hakyeon says, outraged. “It's only the first date, he might not want to – ”

“Oh, believe me,” Wonshik says dryly. “He does.”

Hakyeon is momentarily side-tracked. “How do you know that?”

“Because he stares at your ass constantly.” Wonshik raises an eyebrow. “That kind of indicates interest.”

“Huh,” Hakyeon mutters.

Wonshik takes advantage of Hakyeon’s confused silence to send a message to Hongbin, a grin curling at his lips.

_OUR PLAN HAS SUCCEEDED._

10:07

His phone buzzes with the response not thirty seconds later.

_You’ve just made me very, very happy._

10:07


End file.
